Deliver Us from the Evil Within
by aderynbrea
Summary: Everyone battles with their own inner demons and it's no exception for the Turtles and their allies. Trust, loyalty and love will all be tested as their enemies plot to destroy them from within. Please read chapter one for more details!
1. The Tumultuous Turtle - I

**A/N: This is a continuation from my other story, "Mutant L." If you haven't already read it, I suggest you do. It gives the background for Mona Lisa. You don't need to read Mutant L to understand this story, but things might make more sense. I'll upload the first few chapters today, since I have them ready to go. As always, please drop a review. I'm itching to know what you think!**

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**Everyone battles with their own inner demons and it's no exception for the Turtles and their allies. Trust, loyalty and love will all be tested as their enemies plot to destroy them from within.**

** Follow: the Fearful Leader as he attempts to conquer the qualms consuming his life; the Tumultuous Turtle who constantly fights these internal monsters and must choose his past or his future; the Wishful Thinker that distorts fantasy from reality and lives in an actuality he never wanted to create; the Unsung Hero who is constantly underestimated and has something to prove; the Undaunted Kunoichi as the events of past and present finally bring her to her breaking point; the Lone Operative who must face the fact she may have a hopeless future; and the Remorseful Father as his past comes back to haunt him and create a divide in his family.**

**Characters: The Fearful Leader (Leo), The Tumultuous Turtle (Raph), The Wishful Thinker (Donnie), The Unsung Hero (Mikey), The Undaunted Kunoichi (April), The Lone Operative (Mona) and The Remorseful Father (Splinter).**

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**Also, I do not own TMNT. I just like playing with the characters.**

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The Tumultuous Turtle – I

It was impossible to see what was in front of him. There could be something lying in his path, waiting to trip him, and the sky-high pile of equipment he carried could go flying all over the place. This worried him because these were for Mona and her new "office." She somehow convinced him to carry everything from Donnie's lab into her room which, by the way, was clear across the lair. She warned him if he broke anything that he would pay for it, and Raph was not going to find out what she meant by that.

It took several trips to get everything moved and with every step he complained. Even worse, his brothers poked fun at him the entire time because he fell for the, you're-my-strong-boyfriend-and-I-can't-possibly-carry-all-of-this-by-myself, trap. They laugh now, but they would get a good punching when he was done with this.

"Would you mind staying and help me hook all this up?" Mona requested as Raph sat down the last mechanical box.

"Are you sure you want me to help? Shouldn't Donnie be in here instead?"

She walked behind him, wrapping her body around his and squeezed his muscular arm, "He'll help, but we can't position and move all of this by ourselves. I need a strong man for that."

Raph sighed, partly giving in to her wishes and partly because he had no energy to argue. Mona then poked her head out her door and called for Donnie to help.

"What exactly are you setting up here?" Raph asked, "Aside from an office?"

"Do you want the long or short version?" Mona came back at him.

Raph just crossed his arms and glared at her, wordlessly giving her his answer.

"I'm setting up a video surveillance system. I've been running a freelance investigation business and I'll need this equipment to keep track of surface activity. Plus, it'll help me find more about the Kraang and my brother."

Donnie stepped in with a grin on his face, ready to tackle the complexity of the project before them. It was nauseously obvious he was too excited for this.

"I really think this system will be helpful, not only to you but for us as well! I developed the perfect software to use too. It's capable of high speed tracking and uses biometrics to identify people and places," Donnie grinned.

Yup, Raph wanted to hurl right now.

"You're kidding?! Biometrics? This is like a dream come true!" Mona squealed with equal enthusiasm.

Raph forced a cough, implying he was there and that he did not plan to stand around and listen to them geek out all day.

"Just tell me where you want things," Raph finally groaned.

Mona laughed his misfortune off, "Just start stacking those towers in two, two by four clusters."

This was going to be a long, long day.

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Later that evening, Raph finally got the time to sit down and relax just before patrol time. He was too tired to go out, but knew he had to regardless. If Mona and Donnie were not so indecisive about where they wanted the equipment set up, maybe Raph would not be so tuckered out. He could have sworn he moved everything around at least a dozen and a half times. Once Mona was satisfied, Raph made a quick escape before she could rope him in to do more heavy work.

After sitting for a few minutes, he decided to flip on the TV. He did not have anything in particular in mind to watch, so he left it on the channel it was on previously. To his pleasant surprise, _Grody to the Max_ was starting.

_Tonight on _Grody to the Max, _our team investigates strange sightings of a "mutant" in Central Park. Eye-witness accounts describe the monster as a "ninja turtle."_

The word "mutant" caught Raph's attention but it was "ninja turtle" part that stunned him.

"There's no way it could be…" he said aloud to himself.

"Did she just say something about a ninja turtle in Central Park?" Leo commented, overhearing the TV announcer's claims.

"Afraid so," Raph replied.

"You don't think?" Leo started to question.

"It's Slash," Raph confidently confirmed. It had to be him. There was no one else aside from them that could fit that description.

"I guess we have an objective for tonight's patrol," Leo stated.

Raph pondered the idea of testing out Mona's new toy and posed the idea to the older brother. He agreed it was a smart plan and they left to go have a visit with Mona.


	2. The Lone Operative - I

**I do not own TMNT**

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The Lone Operative – I

Mona was overwhelmed by the technology sitting in front of her. To most people it was just a bunch of computer screens and towers stacked on top of each other but to her, it was a beautiful jewel. Her new system took up the majority of her room, leaving a small bit of wall space for her bed to sit up against. At least she did not have to worry about freezing during the winter with how much heat the computers put off.

Donnie worked on installing and booting the software he created while she took a quick rest. The possibilities of this new system began to overwhelm her brain. Not only would she have eyes on nearly all of New York City, she would be able to find her brother, Jeremy.

She was still getting over the fact that he betrayed and tried to kill her, but she was more determined than ever to find him and set him straight. She understood that working with the Kraang provided an opportunity to advance his research beyond his doctoral days, but working with an alien race bent on exterminating everything on this planet went too far. There had to be a way to convince him otherwise but she currently drew blanks. When she did think of something, it would be easy enough to find him this time. There was no way she would ever rely on the Kraang for her information.

Once Donnie had everything installed, she eagerly jumped up to start playing with her new gadget. What popped up in front of her was glorious. She had access to thousands of cameras around the city as well as biometric technology to identify who or whatever she wanted. A split second thought about being a creeper shot through her mind, but it slipped out just as fast when she told herself that she was not that kind of person. This was for the greater good of justice.

"Sorry to ruin your moment, Mona, but we need your help."

Leo and Raph caught her staring stary-eyed at the screens in front of her. They just _had_ to kill her moment.

She let out a long sigh before answering, "What's up, guys?"

"Time to put your plaything to good use," Raph teased, "We need help finding another ninja turtle aside from us."

"Wait, are you talking about?" Donnie began to ask.

"Slash," Leo and Raph responded in unison.

"Slash, as in the one that tore Donnie and Mikey to shreds, Slash?" Mona questioned.

Donnie grabbed his arm, "Please don't remind me of that."

"That's the one," Leo replied, "There have been sightings in Central Park. Do you think you can find him?"

"Sure thing," Mona reassured and began typing away at her keyboard. In a few seconds, she had security cameras in and around the park brought up on multiple screens.

"Let's see how this works," she mumbled to herself as she brought up the biometric tool. She began entering parameters matching Slash's vague description, then sat back and waited for the program to do the work for her. "It'll take a few minutes for it to find matches, if what the rumor says is true."

"What do you mean?" Raph wondered.

"This could be some sort of red herring," Mona warned, spinning her chair around to face him, "Maybe someone wants to plant an ambush on you guys."

"Possibly, but we can't ignore it. Slash is dangerous."

A light pinging noise drew everyone's attention back to the computer.

"Bingo!" Mona cheered. She spun back around and brought up the results. A dark, large and foreboding shadow was captured on cameras on the south side of the park, near The Pond and the zoo. Mona could not confirm if it was Slash or not, mostly because she had never seen him before and only knew of him from Raph's descriptions. Plus, the images were not clear but by the look on Leo, Raph and Donnie's faces, it was a good indicator that it was him.

Leo nodded his head, motioning for them to head out. Mona told them she would stay behind and monitor the situation from her room, keeping in contact via the communicator. If there was anything they needed to know about their surroundings or information in general, Mona would be there to tell them.

As they left her room, her stomach sank. She remembered the story Raph told her about Slash's rampage against his brothers and began to worry about their safety. Slash sounded like a formidable foe and one they had to tread lightly with. The fact that he could take the four brothers out easily did not sit well with her. At this point, she could only pray for their safe return.


	3. The Wishful Thinker - I

**I do not own TMNT**

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The Wishful Thinker – I

Every second of this moment he lived in sent him into a spiraling cycle of bliss and blunder. He convinced April to hang out with him before her training session with Splinter. They spent the time examining the structure of her DNA because she was curious in the genetics coursing through her body. She confided in him about her struggle of coping with the fact she was part Kraang. It was a tough battle but Donnie did his best to help her come to terms with the truth. Getting to know her biological composition was a good first step.

While they did that, Raph moved the apparatus' he gathered for Mona's surveillance system from the lab into her room. Donnie had to admit, he enjoyed watching Raph struggle with moving everything.

He brought his focus back to April. She was looking at her DNA through the microscope, sketching the construct in her notepad, and Donnie could not help but gape at her stunning beauty. The face she made when she concentrated on something was adorable. He wanted nothing more than to come up behind and wrap his arms around her. Ideally, she would turn around in his arms, stare into his eyes and long for his lips. He would grant her wishes and lean down and kiss her sensually, arousing her to kiss him back deeper. When they break, he would whisper to her, "_You're so beautiful."_

"What did you say, Donnie?"

Panic coursed through his body as he realized he said the last bit aloud. He scrambled for something, _anything, _to say to recover.

"I, uh, said that the double helixes are so beautiful. You know, how the strands twist around each other and never touch."

April gave him a perplexed stare. How stupid could he get? That was probably the worst metaphor to use, especially since it perfectly described their relationship.

"The shape is really cool looking."

_Nice, _he sarcastically told himself, _she really has to think I'm an idiot._

April did not respond and went right back to looking in the microscope and etched away. Donnie really wanted to punch himself in the face. He constantly drifted off into these fantasies between him and April and he began to believe it was straining their friendship. If he kept doing this, he may ruin any chance he had to get with her. There had to be a way to stop it but he could not think of a way, which frustrated him beyond belief. He had a solution to everything but when it came to April, she threw him off. Even with the flowchart he created, he still struggled.

"Hey, Donnie! Can you come help me with the setup?" he heard Mona's shout from the other side of the lair.

"Well, I've got to help Mona. Feel free to stay and finish your drawing," he suggested.

April looked up from the scope, "That's ok. I'm done for today. It's about time to meet Master Splinter anyways. Thanks for the help today, Donnie."

Donnie gave her a warm smile, "It's nothing, April. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

She returned the smile with equal warmth, "Thanks. It's good to know you're always there for me." She got up, placed her notepad in her bag and reached around and hugged Donnie before heading off to the dojo.

He stood there dazed, watching her leave. _I'll always be there, April. Always. _


	4. The Unsung Hero - I

**I do not own TMNT**

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The Unsung Hero – I

_Rain pattered on the roof and lightning lit up the pitch black room through the screen door. The two lovers embraced each other, trying to warm themselves. Every layer of Satsuki and Kojiro's clothing were soaked by the rain. There was no change of clothes in the tiny shack they took refuge in, so huddling was their only option._

_ Kojiro brought Satsuki closer to him, intensifying the shared warmth._

_ "There is something I must tell you."_

_ Satsuki looked up into his soft eyes, "What is it, my love?"_

"It's time to go, Shellbrain."

Raph lifted one side of Mikey's headphones, bringing a shrieking halt to the fiction Mikey jotted down in his notebook and the inspiring music he listened to. Annoyed by the interruption, he gave Raph an irritated glare. To his displeasure, Raph grabbed him around the neck and gave him a noogie. Mikey flailed, trying to get out of his brother's grasp, but failed miserably.

"Stop messing around, you two," Leo criticized.

Raph scoffed and released Mikey. A lingering pain remained and Mikey attempted to rub the dent on his head to relieve the pain.

"So where are we going tonight?"

"Slash is back," Donnie bluntly replied.

"What! Slash?" Mikey screamed. He did not like where this night was going. He still had occasional nightmares about that night. Never before did he believe his life would end so soon, but that night he swore he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Please tell me you have a plan of attack, Leo," Mikey pleaded, "I don't want to die young."

"No one is going to die," the blue banded turtle reassured. Mikey's older brothers made their way to the Shellraiser, forcing him to begrudgingly follow. He only hoped Leo had some sort of plan.


	5. The Remorseful Father - I

**I do not own TMNT**

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The Remorseful Father – I

The coughing fits a night started to become a regular occurrence again. A good night's rest became something of a luxury for Splinter. He would awake between four to seven times a night from coughing. Luckily the fits only happened in the evenings when his sons were not in earshot. He was concerned that they would occur during the daytime but as long as they were not, he was not going to worry about it. He needed to focus on training his sons to their greatest potential before things got worse.

The tumors made their first appearance when he was a teenager. Early detection made it possible to fight them off. Unfortunately for him, the lung cancer was due to genetics and not by controllable factors. It was a disease his father dealt with and eventually succumbed to.

Though Splinter did not have any medical proof, he strongly believed it was back. The symptoms were identical to when he was younger. He was unsure of how it would affect him as a mutant rat, but assumed the results would be similar. There was a possibility of fighting it off again but he would have to ask for Donatello's help. The thought of even telling his sons about the disease petrified him.

He spent their entire lives training them to protect themselves from the evils of the surface. He trained four strong ninjas who have proved time and time again that they are ready for the world around them. Better yet, he was proud that he raised four young boys by himself and they turned out better than he could have ever imagined. When they first mutated, he had reservations about raising them without Tang Shen around but relied on her spirit to guide him through parenthood. He was grateful for that.

The disappointing part was that he may not be around much longer to see his sons' continued growth. They were quickly maturing from boys to men.

He brought his mind out of meditation when he sensed April's presence in the dojo. He was proud of her too. She would be a powerful kunoichi at the rate she was going. He only hoped he would be around to make sure she learned everything needed to be as experienced as Miwa.

That struck an unsettling nerve within him. Granted, Shredder did a good job at training her, but the fact that he stole her away from him was always a hard pill to swallow. His stomach sank in the thought that he may never make amends with his estranged daughter. He could only hope she would see behind Shredder's deception and come to terms with the truth. He knew it would be hard for her, but he would love more than anything to see that day happen.

Putting the thoughts behind him, he sat up from the mat and exited his room. He would eventually have to tell everyone the truth but for now, he wanted to focus on the present rather than the future.


	6. The Undaunted Kunoichi - I

**I do not own TMNT**

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The Undaunted Kunoichi – I

She was glad it was time for training. It provided an excuse to get away from Donnie for a while. She did not dislike Donnie, but rather she was not sure how to handle his interest in her. There were so many mixed feelings, it was impossible to come out and say exactly how she felt about him.

They were great friends and he was always there for her when she needed it. She entertained the thought of becoming more than friends few times before, but she always remembered that he was part turtle and she did not know how to handle that. Then again, she was half Kraang and that was a lame excuse to not pursue him. There was also Casey, who she also felt something for but had a gut feeling that she would not be entirely happy with him. She constantly went back and forth between them, making it impossible to choose.

And this was exactly why April did anything she could to not think about it. Her mind raced in circles trying to come to a conclusion and frankly, it was easier to avoid thinking about it in the first place.

"Good evening, April," Splinter greeted.

April responded with a bow, "Evening, Sensei."

"Today we will work on your footwork for himitsu iri, your silent entry." Splinter showed her how to position her feet and how to lift them up to create soundless footsteps. Splinter looked like a floating ghost moving around the dojo. He pointed out that the key was to be swift, but to not allow your enemy to detect your presence. With proper practice and training, he assured April she would soon be one with the shadows.

April lost track of how much time she spent gliding back and forth across the dojo but she finally started to get the hold of it. With every progressing step, her body gradually felt weightless, almost like she walked on air. She enjoyed the buoyant feeling of her body in this state.

It all came to a screeching halt when banging noises and impudent curses echoed into the dojo. The sounds that brought April out of her trance were from Mona. She had never heard her lizard friend speak such venomous words before. Before she knew it, Mona slammed open the dojo door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have major problems. The guys are getting their butts kicked by Slash. April, I need you to come with me."

April glanced over to Splinter, who gave her an approving nod. She checked to make sure she had her tessen with her before rushing out with Mona. April hoped she could put her new skills to use. Stealth would be key to take Slash down.


	7. The Fearful Leader - I

They moved swiftly across the rooftops, doing their best to get to Central Park before their lead went cold. Mona confirmed there were no new sightings of Slash, so that meant one of two things. He either relocated, avoiding Mona's surveillance system, or he was still over by The Pond and zoo. Leo placed a high bet that Slash still crept around the south part of the park.

When they arrived, Leo instructed they split in pairs. Raph and Mikey explored The Pond while he and Donnie took a look around the zoo. Lucky for them, it was late at night and there was no one about. Complete silence and tranquility enveloped the area. Even amongst the animals in the zoo, it was quiet. It did not last forever because Mikey had the need to hum some tune aloud.

Leo stopped still in his tracks and glared at Mikey. "Is that really necessary?"

"Just trying to figure out the bridge to a song I'm writing," he nonchalantly shrugged.

"Wait, you're writing a song?" Leo was perplexed.

"Uh, yeah, and writing in general."

"You? A writer?" Leo snickered.

Mikey placed his hands on his hips. "My stories are well received by the online writing community, for your information."

"Sure they are," Leo sarcastically replied. There was no way he believed it. How in the world could a scattered mind like Mikey's even compose something so detailed and intricate?

Amongst their bickering, a loud thump came from in front of them, catching the blue and orange banded turtle's attention. Leo silently motioned to approach with caution, moving within the shadows as they advanced towards the elephant exhibit.

A crashing sound erupted as they got closer. The animals from the surrounding cages roared out from the abnormal disturbances happening so close to their cages. Leo and Mikey constantly evaluated their surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the noises came from. It continuously changed directions. At least they knew Slash was on the move, however, he was aware of their presence. The goal was to find him before…

Leo needed to stop getting ahead of himself, because in that moment, Slash materialized from behind them and knocked Mikey sideways, throwing his body against the wall next to the lion display. Leo's reflexes were faster than his younger brother's and he successfully dodged the attack. A quick shock of panic took over Leo as his brother flew, but Mikey got up with determination and nunchucks in hand, ready to take on Slash.

"It's been a while, Leo. I'm ready to knock you out of your shell!" Slash roared. Leo could feel the deep animosity coursing through Slash's body and it was obvious that he had a bone to pick with Leo. Hopefully this would not involve any real bones, especially the broken type.

Slash ran up to Leo and bashed him with all his strength. Leo successfully blocked the brunt of the blow, but it threw him back regardless. His shell absorbed most of the impact against the wall. Leo had to move quickly though, because Slash was within range again and attempted to punch Leo's gut. Mikey tried to jump on him from behind and wrangle him down, but was easily flung off to the wayside.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Slash. There isn't any need to fight," Leo tried to reason. He knew it was not going to work, but he had to at least try.

Slash slumped down, ready to charge, "You just hold Raph back. I can make him realize his true potential!"

"No, Slash, _you're_ the one holding me back."

Raph and Donnie appeared from behind, weapons in hand. For once, Leo was glad Raph showed up. With Slash momentarily distracted, Leo went in for an attack. Hopefully going for the legs would turn out to be a brilliant idea. If not, Leo was in for a world of hurt.


	8. The Tumultuous Turtle - II

**A/N: Finally, a chapter update! I'm terribly sorry for the hiatus. Life just took over and I'll be moving soon. But I've got so many ideas for this story and they're too good to abandon. So I hope you all bear with me and I'll do my best to update in a timely manner. Thanks for all the support so far and your patience!**

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Raph and Donnie kept awkwardly silent while they investigated The Pond. Frankly, there was not much to say between the two brothers. They rarely saw eye-to-eye and their personalities were complete polar opposites. Raph even wondered why Leo paired them together. Even though he would never openly admit it, he would rather work with Leo or Mikey. Donnie just got on his nerves in a way he could not honestly put into words.

Luckily, the silence broke when a loud crashing sound came from the zoo. The two silently looked at each other and agreed they should go investigate. When they arrived, Leo and Mikey were already engaged with Slash.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Slash. There isn't any need to fight."

"You just hold Raph back. I can make him realize his true potential!"

Raph could not believe it. He honestly thought that everything was cool between them after he and the Newtralizer disbanded. At least, that was how it seemed.

"No, Slash, _you're_ the one holding me back," Raph declared.

Slash turned, looking him dead on. Raph could see pure ire in Slash's eyes, a feeling he knew all too well. There was also a hint of confusion floating in there, but it was buried deep behind this form of animosity.

Eye contact quickly broke as Leo rushed towards Slash's legs. He did not see the oncoming attack and Leo landed a few blows on him. The strike did not deal much damage due to Slash's thick skin. The giant turtle let out a booming roar and swiped his morning star at Leo, clipping the back of his shell. He stumbled down to the ground, trying to regain his balance.

Infuriation quickly took over Raph. Though he considered Spike, no Slash, to be one of his best friends, the simple fact that he tried to hurt Leo did not sit well with him. No one, not even friends, would get away with hurting family.

Raph charged Slash, yelling out in frustration and anger. Donnie and Mikey followed Raph's lead, though with not as much fervor and Leo regained his balance and went in for a second time. Raph remembered he had a weak point under his arm, but Slash made sure to protect himself. Each attack they make seemed ultimately futile. Though the four brothers worked well together, Slash was hard to take down. He literally was a walking tank. No amount of strategy could successfully take him out.

After a myriad of assaults, Raph became winded. He knew they could not keep this up and either needed to retreat or figure out another way to stop Slash. Raph looked over to Leo, using the language of his eyes to say they probably should retreat. Leo nodded in agreement and started to open his mouth to give the order but a tessen flew across and landed a blow on the back of Slash's head. It successfully gashed the back of the turtle, leaving behind a long, red and wet laceration. Raph followed the fan as it boomeranged back to its owner. His stomach dropped when he saw April and Mona standing on top of the lion exhibit.

_Oh great, _he thought to himself, _now we're in big trouble._

He knew Mona and April were strong fighters, but their timing was horrible. If he, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey could not stop Slash, how would they make any difference? However, April did land a hard blow on his head. Maybe this was the new strategy they needed. Raph grinned at this realization and went in for another attack, this time aiming higher; right for the head.


	9. The Lone Operative - II

"Nice one," Mona chuckled when April's fan flung back into her hand.

"Thanks," April smiled back.

Mona looked down to take in the current situation. The brothers were obviously struggling to defeat Slash and looked dangerously tired. She momentarily thought that their arrival was a mistake but immediately shook it from her mind. She and April offered a different fighting style that Slash was not used to. While the turtle brothers were masters of hand-to-hand combat, she was a master marksman and April a cunning kunoichi. She anticipated the joy she would get from seeing Slash struggle to keep up with her onslaught of firepower and April's new skills.

She drew her guns from their holsters and aimed straight for the massive turtle's head. He threw up his arms to successfully protect his face but took noticeable damage all over his arms. Mona used a combination of inferno and cryo rounds. Though it would seem that using them together would cancel them out, she found that they worked well together. Cryo rounds were great for slowing her targets and the inferno rounds dug holes into whatever they landed on.

Slash was no exception to this. Though his skin was thicker, they left obvious marks. He bellowed in pain, but kept his cover up. It was enough, however, for Donnie to knock him off his feet, forcing Slash to slam to the ground, shell first. Raph and Leo went in together to land hits on top of him, but Slash rolled over, evading the attack.

April sent her tessen for another round but Slash knocked it away before it could land on him. The distraction was enough for Mikey to come in and wrap his nunchucks around his massive form, once again, bringing him down to the ground. He was too injured to attempt to break his restraints. April used this time to retrieve her weapon and Mona hopped down to the ninja's level.

"Sorry it took us so long, boys," she quipped and holstered her guns.

"No one asked for your help, Mona," Raph rebuked but gave her that small but appreciative smile of his. She loved it when he looked at her like that.

"Aw, but where's the fun in that, darling?" she teased and returned the same smile. She walked up to Raph and playfully brushed against his shoulder.

A low thunder erupted from Slash and he suddenly gained a second wind, snapping the chains of Mikey's nunchucks. The uproar flung everyone back and Slash once again took his foreboding stature. He swiped down and grabbed Mona by the neck single handedly and lifted her up to his eye level. His dark gaze penetrated Mona's as she struggled for a gasp of air.

"So I've been replaced, huh?" Slash mumbled rhetorically.

His grip on her neck tightened causing her to panic in the asphyxiation. She grabbed at his hand, trying to pry it away, and ineffectively kicked her legs, trying to force him to release her. It did not take long for the light-headedness to kick in and her body went limp.

"Let her go, Slash!" she faintly heard Raph's yell as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

Slash took his words literally and threw Mona against a nearby concrete wall. Pain surged through her body as she made impact but could not scream out. Her body was like a ragdoll. She heard Raph again, calling out to her. She desperately wanted to respond and tell him she was alright.

But she was not. She sat seemingly lifeless, body slumped over. Her eyes were barely open as she watched the next few minutes unfold in front of her. Everyone attempted an attack on Slash but he effectively knocked everyone away. They tried again, using every move in their repertoire to no avail. Finally, Raph landed a blow. He jumped up and dug one of his sai into Slash's shoulder. Slash wailed, reached over and grabbed Raph by his arm and dangled him in front of his plastron. Mona could not hear the words coming from Slash's mouth but she saw the anguish on Raph's face.

Mona slowly forced her left arm to move to her side and grip her gun. This one had the inferno ammo loaded in it. She used all her strength to hold on to it and brought it up to her chest. Next, she lifted her right arm up and held the gun up with two hands. They shook wildly as she aimed for Slash's head. It was hard to keep steady and she could not afford to miss because she ran the risk of hitting Raph instead.

She thought back to when her mother first taught her to shoot. Mona remembered how badly her arms trembled while taking aim. There was a trick her mother taught her to ensure she would hit her target. Take in a deep breath from her diaphragm and concentrate on looking through the crosshairs. When it was time to exhale, it was time to pull the trigger.

A bang exploded from her gun and the inferno round smacked Slash right across the face, landing square on his cheek. He howled and immediately dropped Raph.

"Don't you dare put another finger on him," she murmured before finally passing out.


	10. The Undaunted Kunoichi - II

Seeing Mona tossed around like a wet paper towel sent tendrils of terrors through April. That easily could have been her and she knew she had no chance of living through that. She was surprised Mona did and on top of that managed to take a shot at Slash, allowing everyone an opportunity to escape. Mikey was closest to Mona and propped her over his shoulder and made a mad dash for the building tops. Everyone followed suit, splitting off in different directions to throw Slash off. The plan was to rendezvoused back in the lair.

By the time April made it back, Mikey, with Mona in tow, and Donnie were already there, with Donnie stabilizing Mona in his lab and Mikey explaining what happened to Splinter. April had to block the details from her mind. She could not stand to relive them again. She found a place on the couch on the far side of the lair, out of earshot, so she would not have to be subjected to tonight's events again. She forced herself to take in deep breaths to clear her head, feebly attempting to enter a state of meditation.  
"Are you doing alright, April?"

She snapped out of her inner calm and looked up to see Leo standing in front of her. Raph was back too and made his way to the lab.

"I'll be fine," she responded, "but with what happened tonight, it makes me wonder if I'm cut out for this. I'm just a squishy human. I have no natural armor to protect me and I'm defiantly not as skilled as you all."

"Don't say that. You're turning into a strong kunoichi and you pull more than your weight around here. You're part of the team, April. Don't forget that."

"Yeah," she dryly replied. She knew Leo was right but deep down she doubted herself. She gave her all during training sessions and it did not seem like enough. She still felt weak in comparison.

April decided to run some ideas through her head on how to become stronger:

_Training even harder_ \- that was a given, but it was also the same thing she did now.

_Mutate into something stronger_ \- probably not the best idea. It was super risky, plus she was immune to the mutagen.

_Acquire armor_ \- this was a more sound idea. Something similar to what Karai sported would work well. It would keep April protected but give her the needed flexibility to fight as a kunoichi. The big problem came down the acquisition of said armor. There was not a huge market for a full armor set and she doubted Master Splinter would have one. However, he might know where to get one, so it was well worth mentioning it to him.

She got up from the couch and made her way to his room. Lucky for her, he sat in the dojo, deep in a meditation. April hesitated to interrupt him but Splinter's senses were sharp and immediately noticed her presence the moment she walked through the threshold.

"What's on your mind, April?" he asked, eyes still closed and body still.

April walked over and sat down on her legs in front of her sensei. She formally placed her hands on her lap and gave a short but extended bow towards Splinter.

"Sensei, I was wondering if you knew of a way for me to find a suit of armor."

Splinter's ear twitched slightly and he opened his right eye to look at her, "Armor? Why do you want that?"

"Well I was thinking, especially after watching what happened with Mona tonight, that I could use an extra layer of protection. I'm not asking for something like you use in jousting, just something strong yet light and easy to move in. I was hoping you knew of something."

The rat let out a soft hum as he thought. April sat there quietly as the tension in the air gradually increased. Finally, after minutes of sitting like this, Splinter broke the silence.

"Fair enough. I have a set that I intended to give to Miwa that matches the tessen I gave to you."

April's jaw dropped, "Wait, you do?" She was so sure he would not have anything but this was a pleasant surprise.

"It is something that all Hamato Clan kunoichi wear," Splinter explained, "To don this armor means you are a strong and dedicated warrior, willing to risk your life to protect your clan. I truly believe you are worthy of this honor, April. Though you may not be a Hamato by blood, you are in spirit."

He rose from his spot and momentarily walked into his room. He then came out carrying a large bundle wrapped in a stunning burgundy fabric covered with the insignia of the Hamato Clan. He sat back down and placed it between them. Splinter continued on to methodically unwrap the covering to reveal a deep black breastplate with a white crest engraved on the left side over the heart. He lifted it up and moved it to his right, revealing bracers, pauldrons, and greaves in the same deep ebony hue as the breastplate. The armor was simple but beautiful.

"Wow, Sensei, these are gorgeous," was all she could muster to say.

"You deserve it, April. Wear it proudly."

"Hai, Sensei."


	11. The Unsung Hero - II

Comic books, stale pizza and underwear flew up and rained all over Mikey's room. It was already a mess but this recent tornado tore everything in sight up. Mikey knew he put that notebook somewhere and he was determined to locate it. The night's events reminded him of an earlier chapter in the story he was writing about his characters, Kojiro and Satsuki.

The ruckus emanating from the room was enough for Raph to take notice and pop his head inside.

""Mikey, what in the world are you doing?"

The young turtle looked over to his older brother and replied, "What in the world are _you_ doing?"

Mikey could see the infuriation build up in Raph's face.

"I asked first!" he huffed, but then looked down to the ground, "Donnie kicked me out of his lab so I decided to head to my room. Then I heard you and decided to investigate. Obviously I made a mistake doing that."

"I'm find bro," Mikey reassured, "I'm trying to find a notebook that had this story I wrote in it."

"What's it about?"

"Oh man! It's freaky because the main character, Kojiro, and his lover, Satsuki, came face-to-face with Kojiro's best childhood friend, Shiro. Shiro was super jealous of Satsuki; so much that he stabbed her in the stomach with his katana, mortally wounding her. I had a major déjà vu, dude! You and Kojiro have a lot in common."

After saying that last bit, Mikey realized that it was not a smart move. Raph's body grew tense and a raging fire burned in his eyes.

"Are you writing stories based off of me and Mona?!"

Mikey needed to divert this and quick. He put his finger up in a matter-of-factual manner and replied with:

"All characters appearing in my works are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."

He smiled and thought, _Nice save, dude!_

"Mikey," Raph started out softly but quickly crescendoed into fury, "I'm gonna' KILL YOU!" Raph leapt towards his younger brother but Mikey was quicker and evaded the lunge. He dashed out of his room screaming, heading to the living room. He hoped someone would be in there and could stop Raph from his raging desire to destroy him.

Luck was on Mikey's side as he ran right into April carrying something under reddish fabric. The large package flew right up in the air and landed straight on his head as he and April toppled to the ground. The cloth untied itself, sending hefty pieces of black metal tumbling all over the floor with a clank.

Raph stopped himself before inadvertently joining the collision. He watched a breastplate roll by his feet. He bent over and picked it up.

"What's this?"

April hastily shoved Mikey off of her, jumped up and snatched the plate from Raph's arms.

"It…it's nothing of your concern,' she stuttered.

Mikey finally pulled himself up, rubbed his head and stared at the mess before him, "Is this armor? Sweet! Where did you get the duds?"

April guiltily shifted her gaze to the ground, "Splinter gave it to me. I, uh, asked for it."

Raph put his arms on his hips, "Why? You don't need armor."

"Yes I do!" she declared, "You wouldn't understand."

Mikey came up behind her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, "If it means anything, I think you'll rock it in the armor. You'll look like a boss!"

"Thanks, Mikey," she replied with a weak smile, "I should get going though. I have school in the morning."

"See ya, April!" Mikey smiled. After she finished gathering the rest of the scattered pieces and walked out, Mikey looked back to Raph. Even after this chain of events, his brother did not forget why he wanted to give Mikey a beating. The rage renewed in his eyes and he pounced on Mikey, pounding him with all his might. Mikey flailed underneath Raph, trying to escape, but eventually gave in. This was not a battle he would win tonight.


End file.
